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through a stage of imperfection during which they may be 

 almost normal, although generally showing something of 

 the line are character. The perfect state, however, is well 

 worth waiting and working for. Unfortunately when it 

 is attained the plant seems to lose the vigour which charac- 

 terises it in the larval state (if we may use the expression) 

 and is apt, upon small provocation, to fall into a condition 

 of feeble health from which it recovers with difficulty and 

 only after much coaxing. The name " hirondelle," given 

 by Dr. Wills, is French for swallow, and the resemblance 

 of a pair of opposite pinnules to a flying swallow is suffi- 

 ciently striking. It is not so clear w r hy the French language 

 should have been selected instead of the usual classical 

 tongues. Perhaps the French form was considered more 

 euphonious than the corresponding Latin Hirundo or its 

 adjectival form hirundinum. Chelidon (Greek) would 

 probably be thought too obscure. Let us be thankful it 

 was not Sdjtoatbe. The illustration is taken from a portion 

 of a frond accidentally broken from a seedling plant kindly 

 sent to the Editor some years ago by Mr. Cranfielcl. It is 

 evident that the variety is capable of coming true from 

 spores. 



F. W. S. 



MY EXPERIENCE IN PROPAGATING FERNS 

 FROM BULBILS. 



As lam in no sense a botanist, but merely a grower of plants, 

 it will be my object in this paper to avoid using technical 

 terms, and to describe, in the simplest language I can 

 command, how I have raised Ferns from bulbils. 



In certain classes of Ferns, I refer particularly to Poly- 

 stichiuns, and especially to the plumose varieties of Poly- 

 stichum angulare, the grower notices from time to time a 



